Re: Does anyone on Gupshup support George W Bush?
Those that share your perspective on GW probably share your perception of him re: NO. Those that think he’s done a pretty good job overall probably have a different perception of what he has done in the wake of Katrina.
My own take on NO is that the mayor of NO and the Governor of Louisiana completely and utterly failed to discharge their responsibilities both pre-hurricane and post-hurricane and that the President did a pretty good job of getting the vacuum filled. The images of him embracing and comforting the poor victims of the aftermath (both black and white but predominantly black) don’t paint a portrait of a “pompous SOB” to me.
The mayor knew very well that a large number of residents had no way to evacuate the city. There were 2,000 school buses available to evacuate people. Why were people not told to go to the Convention Center and Superdome two days before the storm hit to get on those buses and have them head for Houston? Instead, they were safely locked up in a parking lot and were, of course, lost when the flooding came.
The local police and fire departments were rendered totally useless because they were not moved to safe locations and had no ability to mount a coordinated response. It may surprise you but it is the governor of a state that can make the first call to mobilize the National Guard by declaring martial law and a state of emergency. Why did the Governor, mayor and local police officials not coordinate with the National Guard before the hurricane hit to coordinate a possible immediate post-hurricane response? Why did the Governor of La. not immediately mobilize the National Guard?
I’ll quite agree that our nation’s inability to respond quickly to this kind of a crisis is chilling. Frankly, it appears as if the only organization capable of the required response is the US military. And I’m not real comfortable with the idea that the military ought to be the first responders to civil emergencies.